Discoveries
by Obsession
Summary: Kagome left Inuyasha to look for the shards because he chose Kikyou, but after being poisoned by a fearsome youkai, who will Kagome turn to for help? SessKag -ON HIATUS-
1. The Betrayal

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha or any of the other characters from the series.

D i s c o v e r i e s

Chapter 1: The Betrayal

Kagome sat cross-legged across from the campfire, gently resting her elbows on her knees, her eyes closed and with her hand held palm up at about eye level. The gentle serenity that that emanated from her slender body was offset by the hard look of concentration that was displayed across her face. Sitting in the moonlight, her body let off an almost ethereal glow and if looking upon her from the right angles, she would appear as though she was a goddess that had been bestowed upon earth to protect the people that resided on it. If a traveler had happened to stumble across her clearing, what they would have seen would have knocked them breathless. 

A girl of about the age of 20 or 21, her coal black waist length hair falling down her back in waves, seemingly creating a curtain of darkness around her pure white form. The moonlight danced across her pale flesh as if it was happy to have the chance to touch a creature of such innocence. Her features are delicate and soft while appearing to never have been touched by age or the cruel hands of nature. The girl sat, motionless, as if waiting for some sort of sign for quite some time before slowly relaxing her tensed up frame. She slowly returned her hand to her lap before lazily opening up her eyes.

Her eyes are a deep blue, like the color of the sky in the middle of a cloudless summer day, but looking onto those eyes would cause the looker to become despairingly sad, because those eyes are a window to the girls soul, and by looking at them, you could tell the girls soul was recipient of a pain that caused the receiver obvious distress. When drowning in her eyes, you could sense, practically smell the pressure of responsibility and pain that constantly hung around her aura. And in this state of my mind was how a little girl that would change her life forever found her…

~~~*~~~

Kagome sat across from the fire, concentrating intently on her hand, attempting to practice her miko powers, but, as usual, nothing was forthcoming from this particular chore. She had started practicing her powers about 1 month ago and the most she had been able to accomplish so far was to cause a small bluish/white flame to come out of her index finger. Each time that she got it to work, it increased slightly in length, and Kagome was beginning to believe that it slightly resembles a whip. A small, 6 inch whip, but a whip nonetheless. _'How strange, and to think that I didn't even know that I had these powers until 5 years ago.'_ This train of thought led her to thinking of when she met Inu-Yasha, which led her to thinking about **her.** '_Kikyou',_ she thought with disgust. _'It's her fault that Inuyasha left. It's her fault that he broke my heart._ _Why, Inuyasha, why? Was I really just a shard detector to you?' _She thought, a tear falling unnoticed down her cheek.

__

'This is all her fault.' she thought morosely, her thoughts once again turning towards the dead miko that was currently traveling with Inuyasha in the opposite direction of the rest of the group. She could remember as if it was just moments ago that Inu-Yasha had left the group to be with Kikyou.

__

~~~Flashback~~~

Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou were all sitting around the fire, eating the fruit and meat that they had picked up from the last village that they had visited, chatting away about the rumors of where the next location of a shard was going to be. Inuyasha was no where to be found and the members of the small group were just beginning to worry when they heard a small rustle from the bushes around the clearing that they were staying in.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome called out to the bushes, wondering if some Youkai that was after the shards had come after them, but her worries were put to rest when Inuyasha stepped out from between two tree trunks. "Oh good Inuyasha, its just you. I was worried that it might be some sort of Youkai that was coming after the shards…" Her voice drifted off into nothingness as they all looked at whom Inuyasha had with him. 

Kikyou.

They all jumped to their feet at the same time, getting ready to defend themselves and all the while bombarding Inuyasha with questions about his dead miko companion.

"Inuyasha!! What is she doing here?! You know that she is just using you so that she can steal Kagome's soul!!" Sango screeched at him, while at the same time pulling the large boomerang off her back and preparing to throw it at Kikyou. She opened her mouth to add to her previous comment but was cut off by Miroku jumping in front of her to add his comment.

"Kikyou!! I will rid this Earth of your evil aura so that we will be able to continue our quest in peace!" Miroku stated while lifting his cursed hand in front of him and beginning to untie the rosary that held his air rip in check.

"QUIET!!" Inuyasha bellowed, getting the attention of every person within the vicinity of his voice. "Kikyou will be helping us gather the shards-"

"But-"

"No buts!" he screamed before continuing with his speech. "As I have already said, Kikyou will be traveling with us and you will treat her with the respect that she deserves. Kikyou has changed. You don't know her like I do." he stated, his voice softening towards the end of his speech. He then took Kikyou's hand and pulled her down to sit by him at the fire.

Everyone just stood and watched as Inuyasha held Kikyou beside him until Sango voiced the thoughts that were going through almost everyone's head. 

"I refuse to travel with this, this, imitation_." She hissed before standing up and walking back towards the last village that they had passed._

Miroku just simply stared at Inuyasha before standing up and following Sango to the edge of the clearing. This is where Sango stopped and turned back to the fire and said, "Kagome, Shippou, are you two coming?" 

Kagome, who, up to this point, hadn't said nor done anything about the situation, decided to intervene.

"Sango, you know that the shards are my responsibility and I have to stay and search for them." She pointed out in a monotonous voice. Surprise registered on everyone's face at how dead and defeated Kagome's voice sounded. It was as if all of her emotions had just died out, and the fact that Kagome, the spunky girl from the future, was acting this way, worried almost everyone. "I would however, like to keep my soul intact and so therefore agree with you on traveling without the corpse." She spit out 'corpse' as if just thinking about the word made her want to heave.

Sango sat, contemplating Kagome's words before replying in an unhappy voice, "Alright, Kagome. We will help you _search for the Shikon." She stressed the word 'you' when she was talking to Kagome but it was obviously meant for Inuyasha._

Inuyasha, it seemed, had also picked up on how Sango had dismissed him and barked out, "What do you mean by that, you little-"

Kagome cut him off before he got any farther by turning and staring at him with her cold and emotionless eyes and stating, "Inuyasha." His head turned towards her and she continued in a dead voice. "We will still search for the shards, but we will not travel with you. I would suggest that you leave now and don't come back. I am going to take a walk. Be gone by the time I return." And with that, Kagome left them all in the clearing, staring at her back with a stunned look on their faces.

~~~End Flasback~~~

That was two months ago, and in the short time that Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and Shippou had been traveling without Inuyasha, they had only managed to get two shards. 

__

'I shouldn't have made him leave', she thought_, 'if I hadn't then we would have way more shards now'. _The thought of Inuyasha and Kikyou still stung a little bit but the thoughts didn't make her want to fall into depression anymore.

At the moment, Kagome was sitting in front of the fire and trying to relax. Under the usual circumstances, she would either be talking to Sango and Miroku, or cuddling Shippou, but they had all gone into the nearest village to pick up supplies and to check if there were any rumors about the Shikon shards. She would have gone with them, but she had wanted some alone time and this was the perfect time to take advantage of it.

She stood; raising her arms above her head and stretching towards the sky, before unrolling her sleeping bag and lying down to go to sleep. She had just zipped up her sleeping back when she heard a muffled sound coming from the bushes on the opposite side of the camp. '_Why would a Youkai attack in the middle of the night…'_ her thoughts wandered of as she silently got out of her sleeping bag and picked up her bow and arrows. Stringing one of her arrows, she proceeded to call out, "Who's there?" When no one answered she decided to investigate. She slowly stalked over to the bushes and pushed them aside. What she found amazed and surprised her.

It was a small girl, about the age of 4 or 5 with shoulder length black hair that was tied into a ponytail on the side of her head. She was curled into a ball and was shaking with silent sobs.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked, kneeling down by the girl. Not getting an answer, she knelt down by the little girl and picked her up. She walked back to the campfire and sat down, settling the girl into her lap. 

"Where are your parents?" The girl, having quieted down quite a bit, rubbed her eyes and looked up at Kagome before answering.

"Rin's parents were killed by wolf Youkai. Rin lives with her Sesshoumaru-sama." She stated proudly, puffing outer chest when mentioning Sesshoumaru.

__

'Sesshoumaru!' she involuntarily gasped when Rin mentioned his name. _'Why would Sesshoumaru be traveling with a child?"_ she wondered, pondering the thought in her mind. She was shaken out of her reverie by the inquisitive voice of Rin asking her a question.

"What's your name?" She looked up at Kagome with innocent brown eyes and waited for the answer.

"My name is Kagome and I take it that yours is Rin?" She asked.

"Yes." Rin answered shyly. 

"Will Kagome-chan help Rin to find Rin's Sesshoumaru-sama?" She asked, barley getting it out before a yawn escaped from her mouth.

__

'I really don't know if I should get involved in this. Sesshoumaru can be very dangerous.' Kagome felt tendrils of doubt crawling up her spine, but when she looked into Rin's eyes they all vanished as if they had never been there.

"Yes Rin, I will help you find Sesshoumaru, but first I think that you should get some sleep." Kagome watched as Rin stifled another yawn.

"Ok. We can look for him in the morning. Goodnight." Rin agreed, before rolling into a ball on Kagome's lap and falling asleep.

Kagome then proceeded to pick Rin up and put her down in her sleeping bag, before lying down next to her and following her into darkness.

~~~~~~ 

Review Please!!!!!


	2. The Debt

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the other characters from the series.

Reviewers: I love you all!!! You are so sweet!!! As to some of your questions, I'll answer some of them right now. Some you wanted to know what had happened to the characters that have and haven't been introduced to the story yet. Here's what's going on: 

*Naraku, Kagura, Kanna, etc.- The Shikon hasn't been completed yet, so Naraku is still in the picture. He will probably appear somewhere around the middle of the story.

*Inuyasha and Kikyou: They are searching for the Shards somewhere North of where Kagome is looking for them. They will appear in the story occasionally, but mostly they will be off doing their own thing.

*Sesshoumaru, Jaken, and Rin: Rin, as you know, has already been introduced. Sesshoumaru will be in this chapter ***yay*,** while Jaken will appear in the 3rd. 

I know that Rin should be somewhere around 10 years old, but I kind of forgot and the story would just be weird if she was older.

*Sango, Miroku, and Shippou: They will be around for most of the story. Kaede will show up, but only at the times when Kagome visits her in the village. I know that Shippou should be older too, but I feel the same way about him as I do about Rin.

*Kohaku and Kouga may be in the story, but I haven't decided on that yet. 

D i s co v e r i e s 

Chapter 2: The Debt

Kagome awoke to the warm feeling of sunbeams flitting across her face from in-between the leaves of the trees that towered above her head. She stretched and opened her eyes, looking around the clearing that surrounded her. She turned and looked at Rin, who was snuggled up against her side, her black hair slightly mussed from sleeping on her side, a slight snore emanating from her open mouth. Kagome got out of the sleeping bag and stood up, pondering between waking Rin up or allowing her to sleep. She chose to allow her to sleep longer, deciding to wake her up after she was done making breakfast. With that she walked over to her pack and started getting ready.

First, she walked over to a nearby stream that was in viewing distance of the camp, just in case Rin woke up and was wondering where she was. She slowly stripped off her pajamas and waded into the cold water, going slowly at first but dunking all the way under the water after it had reached her waist.

__

'Brrrrr. This is cold.' She idly thought, swimming in slow circles around the stream. The cold water seemed to get rid of the grogginess that comes from waking up in the morning. '_What am I going to do about Rin? It's not like I can just get up and leave to help her look for Sesshoumaru. I have my responsibilities, and he would probably just kill me anyway_.' A sneer worked its way onto her face as she thought about Sesshoumaru. '_Well maybe I'll get lucky and he will come to take her back_.' She thought it over; wondering if having Sesshoumaru come near her and her friends was such a good thing. '_Well… I don't think that it matters that much right now. I'll worry about it when the time comes_.' She thought, silently deciding not to do anything until her friends get back.

Kagome, finished with her bath, then proceeded to walk back to the campsite and light a fire. She gathered fresh wood for the pit, before lighting a match and throwing it into the fire. After throwing some food, from what is now the last of their supplies onto the fire, she sat down and watched the food cook. She sat in silence for some time, the scent of cooked meat gently permeating the air around her. 

She decided that the food was cooked when it stopped sizzling in the fire, and got up to wake up Rin. She walked over to her and knelt down besides her, reaching a hand out to nudge her shoulder. 

Her hand was mere inches away from touching the girl when a pale, clawed hand shot out from nowhere and pinned her by he neck to the closet tree. She looked up at her assailant, struggling against the hand on her neck and gasped at what she saw. A cold, merciless, silver haired, golden eyed youkai with red streaks and a crescent moon that adorned his face was staring maliciously at her. A look of pure menace that made her want to curl into a tight ball, just so that she could escape the piercing gaze coming from the two golden orbs. You could practically taste the fear that rolled off of her in waves, and the first thought that made its way into her head was, '_Sesshoumaru_!'

~~~ 

Sesshoumaru awoke to the sunlight dancing across his chiseled features in the dawn light. He sat up and looked around for Rin and Jaken, and stiffening when he saw that they were nowhere to be found. A low growl sounded from his chest, reverberating throughout the clearing, and causing all animals to run and hide. He stood up; pain flowing through him from the many wounds that had been inflicted upon his body during battle. The pain from his wounds causing him to remember what had happened.

__

~~~Flashback~~~

Sesshoumaru stood on a dirt road; his back turned towards the fading sunlight as it streamed across him in waves, the wind silently blowing his hair around him. His eyes moved over the field that he had decided to spend the night in, watching as Rin picked flowers and gave them to Jaken, who just threatened to kill her, even though he never proceeded to take any course of action to accomplish them, knowing that if he did, Sesshoumaru would be quick to kill him.

He had just turned around to go and hunt their dinner when the scent of a strange demon blew across his nose. He instantly turned and ran towards Rin, standing in front of her in a defensive stance. He could tell that the Demon was approaching quickly, and from the air. He tensed up, his claws lengthening and turning green as his poison began to seep out of them. The demon burst out from in-between the trees, its wings flapping it up and down before slowly lowering it to the ground.

The demon was about 7 feet tall, and had skin that was lacerated with black designs, seemingly to be some sort of tattoo. Wings sprouted from its back while bone spikes jutted out from the sides of its arms and legs. The body structure of the demon was that of a human. To most it would seem that it was just another bloodthirsty youkai, but Sesshoumaru identified it immediately. 'A leader of one of the Shezou clan. What is he doing here?' He wondered. The Shezou Clans were one of the most feared youkai ninja clans, and also one of Sesshoumaru's worst enemies. 

"What business do you have in my lands?" He growled out at the demon. The demon in turn just smirked back at him, readying himself for a fight.

"To kill you, of course. I can tell that it will be a quick fight, for only weak youkai travel with humans." He spat out the word 'humans', as if it burned his tongue. "It's a shame, really, that a youkai of your station has reduced itself to this level." He glared at Rin, causing her to run and hide behind Jaken. "You were once known for your fierceness in battle." He said, turning his attention back towards Sesshoumaru. "But it will not matter soon, for I will soon rid the Earth of your lowly presence."

Sesshoumaru growled, angered by the insults that the youkai had hurled at him. 'He will pay for his insolence,' was his last thought before he prepared himself for battle. He stood; waiting for battle as the youkai slowly built up power in his hands, lightning flickering from the glowing sphere, glancing off onto trees. It turned, ready to release its blast, but at the last moment, turned towards Rin and fired the energy at her instead.

Sesshoumaru watched in slow motion as the youkai launched an attack, not at him, but at the girl that he had been protecting for quite some time now. He knew that if he didn't intervene, then both Rin and Jaken would most definitely be killed, so at the last moment before the attack was about to strike, he ran, placing himself in-between the line of attack and his faithful comrades.

He held in a cry of pain as the energy tore into his clothes, putting deep gashes all over his body. When the energy subsided, he turned towards Rin and Jaken, warning them to stay away as he finished the fight.

"Jaken, take Rin and run. Rin, you must leave." He forced out, gritting his teeth as pain coursed through his limbs.

"But Sesshoumaru-sama…" 

"Now." He barked, giving Rin a look that made her leave immediately. He watched as they left, relief claiming him when they were gone. He had sent them away because Shezou fighters were extremely ruthless, and nothing would keep them from achieving their goal. 

Turning around, he looked the youkai over with an appraising eye. It would not be a hard fight. This youkai was fresh out of training, full of himself, positive that nothing could harm him. Sesshoumaru's claws slowly lengthened, poison dripping from his hand. Without warning he attacked, slicing into the youkai's stomach, leaving a gaping hole where the poison burned away the skin and muscle. 

They youkai turned, its eyes gaping in surprise, it's hand over it's stomach. Its breathing became ragged from the loss of the blood pooling around its feet. Sesshoumaru, not finding amusement in death, swiftly cut its throat.

He turned around and walked away in disgust, wanting to be rid of the disgusting demon. He winced when his wounds stretched and looked down at his blood soaked clothing. His eyebrows rose. 'I didn't know I had lost so much blood.' He swayed, putting his hand up to a particularly large cut in his side, feeling the blood dribble through his fingers. 'I must find Rin.' Was the last thought that crossed his mind before he was consumed in darkness.

~~~End Flashback~~~

He growled, standing up, angry with himself for his weakness. '_How can I protect Rin if I allow myself to become injured in a battle?_' he questioned himself. '_You wouldn't be injured if the girl wasn't around_.' Another voice whispered, but he just ignored it, searching for Rin's scent on the air.

It was coming from the southeast, about 10 miles away, he presumed. He jumped in the air, flying above the trees, his feet never touching the ground. He slowed down when Rin's scent became stronger. It seemed to be coming from a clearing a small distance away, and there was another scent that was accompanying it. The new scent seemed familiar, and Sesshoumaru swore that he had smelled it before.

Then it hit him. He remembered that scent. '_My idiot of a brother's wench. What is she doing here_?' He growled, stalking up towards the campsite. He stood there for some time, watching the girl get the food ready and wash herself. '_Well, at least the wench knows to keep herself clean_.' He mentally berated himself for thinking well of the girl. 

He watched Rin. She seemed to be under some sort of spell. She wasn't moving and her breathing was shallow and slow. He tensed up, watching as the girl walked towards Rin. When she was a foot away, he couldn't stop himself and attacked her, pinning her against a tree. He could smell the fear rolling off of her in waves, and forced out,

"What have you done to Rin, wench?"

~~~

Kagome gasped, the edges of her vision beginning to go black from air depravation. She looked up, staring at Sesshoumaru's cold face, waiting for him to say something. 

"What did you do to Rin, wench?" He asked, slowly tightening his hand around her neck.

"I didn't do anything to her!" She forced out, her breath coming in small gasps. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"You're lying, miko. I, Sesshoumaru, know when someone is under a spell." He said, a superior tone to his voice. "And if you don't tell me how to remove it than I will have to kill you."

'_Spell? What on Earth is he talking about? She's just asleep_.' She pondered, suddenly becoming angry. '_How can he think that I would hurt Rin?! I would never do such a thing!'_

Kagome suddenly looked Sesshoumaru straight in the eye and hissed, a demonic look in her eye, "How many times do I have to tell you? I. Didn't. Do. Anything. To. Rin." She glared at him, angry at his accusations.

Sesshoumaru, surprised at the small girl's burst of power, slightly loosened his hand around her neck. He stared her in the eyes, looking for traces of a lie. He was about to speak again when he was interrupted by the voice of a happy child.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin cried, running up to him and hugging his legs. "Rin was worried about you!" She looked up, finally noticing the predicament that Kagome was in. "Sesshoumaru-sama, what are you doing to Kagome-chan?" She asked inquisitively, wondering why Kagome was pinned to a tree. 

Sesshoumaru instantly dropped Kagome, turning around to talk to Rin. "Nothing, Rin. What did you do while I was gone?" He asked, trying to get information about the girl.

"Well, after Rin had to run, she found Kagome-chan. Kagome-chan was going to help Rin find you!" She piped up, proud of herself for finding help.

"Oh. Next time don't run so far." Sesshoumaru said. Rin just smiled, knowing that it was his way of praising her. He turned to Kagome, who was sitting under the tree, watching him as if he was there to amuse her. "Get up, wench." He growled, glaring at her.

"What?" She asked sarcastically, "Did you finally figure out that I didn't do anything to Rin?" She smirked. He growled. "It took you long enough," She said, a bored expression on her face. "I only told you about four times." Sesshoumaru growled, angered at her insolence.

"Do not talk back to me, human." He spat out human as if they were the most despicably things in the world. '_Inuyasha's wench is angering me. Since when do I let my emotions get the better of me?_' He asked himself, pushing his anger back and replacing it with a cold emotionless mask. '_Wait. If she is here, than the idiot hanyou must be here also_.' He turned, staring her straight in the eyes, looking deeply into her soul. 

Kagome gasped when Sesshoumaru turned his gaze on her, his eyes burning into hers. '_He has beautiful eyes…_' Her thought wandered off, before she mentally slapped herself. _'Don't think that. He is a cold, ruthless, killer_.' Her mind said. '_But why would a fearsome youkai travel with a child?'_ another voice chimed in, adding its piece. '_It doesn't matter_,' she replied fiercely, 'he is still an evil youkai…' she told herself, but there was still a small sliver of doubt that made her believe that it was not true.

"Where is the hanyou, wench." He asked, watching her suspiciously. He watched as many emotions crossed her face. Sadness, betrayal, and hatred all passed before it settled on anger.

"He's not here. We don't travel together anymore." She replied, her face taking a look of remembrance, as if she was going back in her memories to the past.

'_Ah, so his companions have finally realized that he is worthless and left him_.' A smirk crossed his features. '_They shall be rewarded for their choice._' He turned back to the girl.

"For your choice of leaving the hanyou, I will spare you your life, wench. I am also in your debt for protecting Rin. When you want me to repay you, come for me in my castle." He smirked, watching confusion pass over her features. He turned. "Come Rin, we are leaving. Say goodbye to the girl."

"Ok Sesshoumaru-sama!" She walked over to Kagome. "Bye Kagome-chan! Rin will miss you!" 

"Bye Rin. I will miss you too." Kagome watched as they got ready to leave, before calling out to them. "Sesshoumaru!" He turned, glaring at her. 

"What?" 

"My name is Kagome. Kagome." She repeated. "Get it right. It's not, wench, bitch, miko, or girl." She smirked as he growled, and watched as he lifted Rin up and flew into the morning sky.

'_That was definitely interesting. Since when has Sesshoumaru ever placed himself in anyone's debt?_' She asked herself, pondering what had just happened. '_Well, no need to worry myself about it now. I'll get to it when the time comes_.' And with that, she lay down to the ground and fell asleep. 

~~~~~

~~!!!!!!~~Review Please~~!!!!!!~~


	3. The Sickness

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the other characters from the series. 

HAPPY 2003!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

* Throws lots and lots of confetti into the air. * 

Ok, I'm kinda confused right now. Do you people want me to respond to reviews? If you do, tell me, otherwise I'm not going to because it takes up a lot of space. 

D i s c o v e r i e s

Chapter 3: The Sickness

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining in the sky with only a few wispy clouds to mar its progress across the great sea of blue where it resided. The shard hunters were investigating a rumor of a shard somewhere in the Southern Lands. They were walking along a dirt road, heading towards a village where they believed that they would get a good night's sleep. 

"Kagome!" Kagome turned around when she heard Sango call out to her. She stopped and waited for Sango to catch up to her. "I want to talk to you about something.'' Kagome nodded her head for her to continue. "Kagome, what are we going to do after the jewel is completed?" She asked, "Are you still going to give it to Inuyasha or are you going to keep it and go home?" she inquired, turning towards Kagome. "Because we", she spread her hands indicating the group of shard hunters, " have been talking about it and we would really love it if, after we have collected all of the shards, you would either stay with us in feudal Japan or come and visit us often. We would really miss you if you didn't come to see us." She looked pleadingly at Kagome, waiting for her to answer. 

Kagome stopped, a thoughtful look on her face. "For the first part of your question, I would have to say that I'm still thinking about it, though I do know that I'm not going to give it to Inuyasha, but I don't know if I should keep it and protect it, or somehow get rid of it. What would you do?" Kagome questioned. In truth, Kagome had been thinking about the exact subject quite often of late. 

Sango looked at Kagome, a slight frown marring her features. "I don't know either, Kagome. It's such a large responsibility. I wouldn't want to make a decision if I weren't positively sure that it was the right one. But, you still haven't answered the rest of the question." She turned back around, staring off into the horizon.

"I'm surprised that you even have to ask, Sango." A smile graced her features. " Of course I will come and visit you. I don't know about living here though. You know that I have a life on the other side of the well, but maybe we can figure something out." 

Sango smiled, "That's great, Kagome-chan! We were worried that after what Inuyasha did to you, you wouldn't want to come back." She said Inuyasha's name in distaste. "Of course, Shippou was the worst off. You know that he considers you his mother. He would miss you the most if you didn't come back."

"I know." Kagome smiled a sad smile before turning back to the road. They had been traveling for quite some time now, searching for the shards. At the moment, they were looking for a demon that supposedly carried three shards with him. When passing through a village about 5 miles back, they had heard rumors about where the demon was located. Supposedly, the demon was staying in a flying castle above an island. Kagome smiled wryly. It was also supposed that the demon was 30 feet tall, that it could burn down villages by spitting fire, and that poison was constantly dripping off its body. '_Villagers always over exaggerate when it comes to demons_.' Although, she had a nagging feeling that what they were speaking was close to the truth for once. 

Kagome turned her head and looked at her friends. At the moment, Sango was walking next to Kagome, seemingly depressed from the last time that Miroku had groped her, although she would never admit it. His face was still red from where she had slapped him. Kagome smirked. _'It's so obvious that those two like each other. They're the only ones that refuse to admit it_.' She glanced behind her. Miroku was walking about 10 yards behind her, while Shippou was carelessly frolicking in-between them. She smiled at Shippou. '_He can be so cute at times_.' Shippou, in turn, ran up to Kagome and jumped onto her waist, giving her a big hug that can only come from the love of a child. Kagome hugged him back, softly stroking the hair on the top of his head.

Kagome was about to say something to Shippou about how cute he was when she felt a small tug towards the back of her head. She stopped walking, her back stiffening up. She felt another tug, this time stronger though, followed by two smaller ones. Her senses went on all out alert. She turned to the others; "The youkai is close. I can feel the demon and three shards of the jewel. It must be the youkai that the villagers told us about." She felt the shards coming closer. "And it's coming towards us at a very quick pace."

"Everyone get ready!" Miroku shouted, setting his staff in the 'guard' position. Sango reached behind her on to her back and grabbed the large boomerang that was resting there, while Shippou prepared himself to unleash his foxfire. Kagome, who had already lifted her bow off her shoulder and had knocked an arrow to the string, aimed at the source of the Shikon shards, turned to Shippou, and asked, "Shippou, I need you to go into the forest and hide, alright? This demon is to dangerous for you."

"But Kagome-"

"No buts, Shippou. Now go!" Shippou looked into her eyes, knowing that she wasn't going to let him fight this one. He nodded his head and ran into the forest. The others just continued to wait for the demon to come.

They only had to wait a few moments before the demon appeared. It burst through the forest to their left, crushing the foliage to the ground. Wherever it stepped, the grass turned brown, shriveling up into itself. The demon, in itself, was utterly disgusting. It was about 15 feet tall, it's skin brown and wrinkled. It was covered in boils that were oozing a pasty whitish liquid, seemingly poison, that seeped out from its sores and coated its entire body. Kagome knew that if she were injured, she would not want the poison to get inside any of her wounds. 

It let out a fierce cry, turning its eyes on Kagome. "Where are your shards, miko?" It hissed, ignoring her companions and settling its intense gaze on Kagome instead. "Give them to me! They belong to me! I must have their power!" It leaped at her, startling her with its speed. She tried to shoot it, but could only jump to the side to avoid being injured as its claws grazed past her head. 

Sango jumped over towards Kagome, standing between her and the demon. "Hiraikotsu!" She yelled out, throwing the giant boomerang at the demon. It arced over her head, flying towards the demon's waist, but the demon just brought its hand up and knocked the weapon off its course, throwing it into the surrounding woods. Kagome's eyes opened in alarm as the demon threw Sango's weapon into the forest, where it would take some time to find. She readied anther arrow and shot it towards the demon. It struck the demon's thigh, glowing brightly while purifying the poison that touched the wound. With that extra time, Kagome closed her eyes and focused her powers on finding where the shards were located in the demon. Her eyes snapped open and she yelled out "The shards are in its chest, a little to the right of its heart!" 

Miroku attacked the demon on its side, slicing his staff in a horizontal motion to distract the demon from his companions. "Shoot it, Kagome!" He yelled out as the demon turned to him and swiped its hand towards him. He blocked with his staff; the demon's claws only inches away from his face.

Kagome pointed her arrow, infusing it with her magic, making it glow a faint blue. The demon, having seen her from the corner of its eye, turned just as she shot the arrow. It reached out, trying to catch her before she could shoot. Kagome's eyes widened as she saw the clawed hand come soaring towards her. She turned, jumping to the side, so that she could escape from the demon's path of destruction, but wasn't fast enough, and its poison-coated claws caught her right arm, slicing it from elbow to wrist.

Kagome let out a scream of pain as the poison entered her wounds at the same time her arrow connected to the shards in the demon's shoulder. The shards were knocked out and Kagome's arrow started to pulse with a blue glow. The flesh around the arrow dissolved and the demon let out a scream of pain as it slowly began to melt. It sunk to the ground, half of its body a bloody mess. As its flesh disintegrated, its bones were the only clue that it had even been there in the first place.

Kagome gasped in pain. She held her arm to her stomach as the poison from the demon swept through her body. She leaned on her bow, staggering over to where the shards lay on the ground after being knocked out of the demon. She reached down and picked them up, purifying them with a touch, and slipped them into her pocket. Her vision blurred and she dropped to her knees. The last thing that she heard before she slipped into unconsciousness was the voices of her friends calling out her name.

~~~

Kagome awoke to the soft murmuring of her friends and a voice that she had never heard before. She slowly opened her eyes, but had to snap them shut after her head exploded with pain. After her eyes had adjusted to the light, she tried opening them again. She looked around at her surroundings. She was lying on a pallet in a hut. Across from her was a table and to her side a fire was gently burning in a fire pit. The table was covered in bags of different kinds of herbs with a mortar and pestle set in the middle. Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and someone whose back was turned to her were sitting in a corner, quietly talking about something that Kagome couldn't quite hear. She sat up, leaning on her left arm. A small moan of pain made its way from her chest when the wounds on her right arm were pulled.

Her friends, hearing her moan, turned toward her. Sango, seeing her try to sit up, rushed to her side. "Kagome, you need to lie down. You're really weak." She pushed her back down into her prone position.

"Where am I?" She asked, glancing around at the hut that she was in. "And what's wrong with me?" Sango glanced at her nervously, chewing on her bottom lip. "Tell me!" She forced out, gritting her teeth against the pain in her arm when she tried to move it. 

Sango glanced at Miroku, who nodded his head. "You remember the fight, right?" Kagome nodded her head. "Well, after the demon attacked you, you fainted. Some of the demon's poison got in your wounds." She sat down. "We carried you back to the village where we first heard of the demon. The priestess treated your wounds and is allowing us to stay in her hut until we have figured out what to do next."

"How long until the poison is flushed out of my system and we can travel again?" She turned towards the priestess. Her friend's faces grew even more worried at that question, their eyes sad and their movements depressed.

The priestess walked towards her. She looked to be in her late 30's, early 40's and was dressed in the usual red and white of a miko's garb. She sat down next to Kagome, speaking in a soft voice. "The type of poison that was coated on the skin of the demon that attacked you is extremely harmful to humans. Demons are the only things that have ever been rumored to survive this poison without crippling side effects." Kagome paled, her blood draining out of her face. "You should have about one month to wrap up any business with your family and friends before the poison totally consumes your system. I'm sorry for having to tell you when you are like this..." The priestess stood, walking towards the door of the hut. She turned her head towards Sango and Miroku. "I'll give all of you some time to talk it over by yourselves." She left, leaving a crying Shippou and a stunned Kagome in her wake.

Shippou launched himself at Kagome, pressing his head to her chest. "I don't want you to die, Kagome!" She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him to her in a motherly embrace. "It's ok Shippou. It's ok…" She trailed off, mumbling in his ear. _'I should probably go home… I need to say goodbye to my family_.' She looked towards Miroku and Sango. "We should probably head back toward the village. I really should go home and tell my family." She smiled a small smile at them. 

Sango knelt down beside her and hugged her, squeezing Shippou in-between them. "I agree. You should probably visit your family. Do you think you are up for traveling?" She stood, standing next to Miroku.

"I'll be fine. It's not that far, right?" She sat up, ignoring the accompanying wave of dizziness. 

Miroku frowned, noticing when Kagome swayed and her eyes went out of focus. "If you're sure that you're ok, then we'll leave tomorrow at sunrise.

"That'll be fine."

~~~

REVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEW REVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEW REVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEW REVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEW REVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIE REVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEWREVIEW REVIEWREVIEWREVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (please)


	4. The Repayment

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of the other characters from the anime/manga. 

A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry it took me so long to update, but I had tons of homework and lots and lots of tests, and couldn't get around to writing this chapter. I don't know if I've mentioned it, but this is my first fic and I DON'T WANT ANY FLAMES! Corrective criticism? Sure, be my guest, but flames? No thanks. OK, well I hope that you all like this chapter!

D i s c o v e r i e s 

Chapter 4: The Repayment 

They had been traveling for eight days. Kagome's condition was deteriorating at a fairly quick pace and their progression towards the village was fairly slow. The sky was dreary, seemingly reflecting the moods of the group of shard hunters that traversed under it. None of them, no matter how hard they tried, could forget that one of their best friends was soon going to die. 

At the moment, the group was stopped and resting under a small patch of trees that was located off of the main rode they were traveling. Kagome was leaning against the trunk of a tree for support, her forehead covered in a cold sweat. Shippou was curled up on her stomach, his arms wrapped as far around her waste as they would go, and his head buried in her chest. Lately, he had become inseparable from her. He followed her everywhere and could always be found lying on her stomach when she was sleeping.

She looked down at the kit that had a death grip on her chest, her eyes softening when his hands curled into fists around her shirt. _'I can't leave him like this. It's as if he's my own child, and right now he needs his mother. I have served as his mother for about three years now. My death would terrorize him, and I know that he's already seen enough deaths of loved ones for one life-time._' She slowly stroked the fur off his head as he continued sleeping.

Sango and Miroku were standing a few feet away from where she was sitting. They were obviously deep in thought, probably trying to figure out some way that the poison could be reversed. She pushed her arms up from under her, struggling to push herself off of the ground. Sango, seeing her troubles, ran over to where she was sitting and reached an arm down to help her up.

"Here Kagome, let me help you." She reached down and pulled Kagome to her feet.

Kagome sighed. They had been treating her like this a lot lately. It was really beginning to get on her nerves, causing her to snap out sarcastically, "I may be dying, but I'm not helpless! I'm only going to be alive for about three more weeks! The least you could do is treat me normally instead of like I'm a fragile piece of glass!" 

Sango took a step back, her eyes widening in surprise. "I'm sorry Kagome. I didn't mean to upset you…" She trailed off, her eyes betraying the hurt that her voice didn't.

Kagome looked at her guiltily. "I'm sorry too, Sango. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that." She smiled apologetically. "Please forgive me, but I've just been so stressed out lately."

Sango smiled at her. "It's ok. I understand. What you're going through is bound to be stressful." Kagome murmured an agreement. 

"How about we stop here tonight?" She looked at Miroku. "What do you think, Miroku?"

He glanced at Sango, a frown marring his features. "I believe it would be in our best interest to continue on until we reach the next village."

"Why? Is there something wrong?" Kagome questioned.

Miroku turned to her. "I have been speaking with Sango and we have determined that we entered the Western Lands about three hours ago. We would have avoided it, but it is the fastest route to return to the village." He continued. "As you know, our other, how should I put it, _encounters, _with Sesshoumaru have not been all together satisfactory, and I do not believe he will appreciate us traveling on his lands. 

Kagome's mind perked when Miroku mentioned Sesshoumaru. _'It feels as if there is something that I should be remembering…'_ She thought harder, and it slowly came into her head. _'I've got it!' _ The morning in the clearing, after she found Rin, slowly played over in her mind. 

__

~~Flashback~~

__

"For your choice of leaving the hanyou, I will spare you your life, wench. I am also in your debt for protecting Rin. When you want me to repay you, come for me in my castle." He smirked, watching confusion pass over her features. He turned. "Come Rin, we are leaving. Say goodbye to the girl."

__

~~End Flashback~~

_'Sesshoumaru is in my debt. I remember now, but how can that help me?' _Her mind went over the possibilities. She glanced back over at her companions. _'I can't leave them. I also need to finish the quest…'_ She kept thinking until the answer formed itself in her head. _'The quest! I can have Sesshoumaru finish the quest for me! He's definitely strong enough, but how am I going to get to him? I'm weak enough as it is, but his castle isn't that far away, right?' _She pondered the thought as she mindlessly listened to Miroku talk.

"Kagome?" Miroku asked as Kagome stared listlessly at a point beyond his head.

__

"Kagome?" He repeated the question.

"KAGOME?" 

She snapped out of her stupor with a jerk. "What? Huh? What's the matter?" She asked blinking innocently up at the annoyed monk.

Miroku rolled his eyes and sighed then repeated the question. "I asked you what you think we should do?"

"Oh. Umm…" _'I need to think of some way to get closer to his castle…' _"Umm, I doubt that he would mind if we passed through his lands. I mean, the other times we met up with him he only attacked us because we traveled with Inuyasha and we're not traveling with him anymore…"-_'There's also the fact that he owes me and can't hurt me until he repays me…'_ She added mentally. She glanced at her friends' faces. They all looked to be deeply in thought, their faces brushed with slight frowns. _'I'm so close, just one more push and we'll be there in no time…'_ "Plus, do you really think that he'll notice us? I mean, come on, he has to watch over the Western Lands. His lands are huge. He won't even notice us if we keep to ourselves."

This seemed to reassure them and they slowly nodded their heads in agreement. "If you're sure Kagome, then we'll do it, but only if you're sure." Sango stated, looking at Kagome and waiting for an answer.

Kagome looked back and nodded her head in affirmation. "I'm positive. I'd bet anything that he won't notice us traveling through his lands."

They shook their heads in agreement and Miroku turned to look at Kagome where she was standing and leaning against a tree. "Lady Kagome, are you feeling better or do you wish to rest some more, for we will start out again whenever your strength returns. I know that you wish to return to your family as soon as possible."

She smiled a small smile at him and replied, "I think I'm fine now. It must've just been a moment of weakness." _'I can't tell them the truth. It would hurt them too much.'_ Kagome was lying. It wasn't just one of those 'weak moments'. She knew that she was getting weaker as every day passed, and spent much of her time hiding the fact that that she could hardly walk without breaking into a sweat. 

Sango started picking up their supplies from the resting area. "I'm glad that you're feeling better now, Kagome. We were really beginning to worry about you." 

Kagome sighed and refrained from answering. _'Worrying. They were worrying. It's understandable, them being my friends and all. My family would worry too.'_ Her thoughts turned wistful. _'If Inuyasha ever found out that I was dying, would he even care a small bit, or would he just be happy because Kikyou would finally receive the rest of her soul_?' She let out a harsh laugh.

__

'No, he wouldn't care. He never cared.' She thought bitterly. _'I was always just a replacement for Kikyou…'_ She shook her head to clear it of her thoughts and stood up, getting ready to leave_. 'I need to stop thinking about this. I have more important things to worry about.'_ And with that, the small group started out through the Western Lands.

~~~

They were getting close. She could feel it. The soft resonant hum that could be felt all the way through her bones when youkai were near was growing stronger each day, and Kagome knew that the only place that would contain the multiple auras of so many demons was Sesshoumaru's castle. 

They had been traveling in the Western Lands for eight days, and had only encountered three youkai in that entire time. They were only a few days travel away from the boundary between Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha's lands, but, of course, Kagome didn't intend to reach the point where the two lands met.

Kagome thought as she slowly dragged her feet down the road. _'We're almost there. I can feel the presence of many powerful demons, along with a few Shikon Shards…'_ She glanced at her friends and grimaced at the thought of the shards. _'I could really learn to hate anything that has to do with 'shards', or 'jewels'.'_ She watched as Shippou walked next to her at her side and a sad smile flitted across her face. _'I'm going to have to leave them soon. I'll really miss them…_'

Her thoughts trailed off as they stumbled across a small clearing in the forest towards their right. She felt a pulse resonate through her head and abruptly stopped walking, her blue eyes widening in alarm. _'We're getting really close. We have to stop. I can't let them get hurt.'_

Sango stopped waling after she saw Kagome come to an abrupt halt, her eyes widening in… fear? Anxiety? She couldn't really tell but turned back to help her friend anyway. "Kagome, are you ok?" She asked, worrying as Kagome started to lightly tremble.

"I'm fine, but maybe we could stop in this clearing over here for the night. I'm getting kind of tired." She pointed at the clearing to the right. She clenched her hands to stop the trembling, but it just got worse. _'This is not good. Not good at all. This isn't supposed to be happening for at least three more days!'_ She chewed her lip nervously.

Miroku stepped in. "I think that would be a wonderful idea Lady Kagome. You seem rather pale. Perhaps you would like me to warm you-"

"Pervert." Sango muttered before turning back to Kagome to finish off where the Monk had left off who, thanks to Haraikotsu, was currently strewn unconscious on the ground. "It seems safe enough. You can rest while I set up camp."

"Alright." She agreed before sitting down and leaning against a tree. She dozed as Sango set camp and made dinner, rejoining them when it was ready and Miroku was conscious again. They ate in silence and quickly went to sleep afterwards.

__

'It's almost time.' She thought. Kagome waited until the breathing of Sango and Miroku had slowed and evened out before removing the curled up Kitsune from her sleeping bag next to her. She slowly stood up and walked toward the edge of the clearing before turning back toward her friends and whispering two words before walking out completely.

"I'm sorry."

~~~

It was dark and she could barely see where she was going, so instead allowed her youkai senses to navigate for her. She traveled Westward for the rest of the night and slightly into the morning. She had to stop a couple of times when the trembling took a hold of her. It was getting worse each time it happened, and she knew that her time left on Earth was decreasing with every passing moment.

The pulsing in the back of her mind got steadily stronger as she continued through the night and by the time the sun had risen in the East, she could feel it all the way through her body. 'I'm almost there!' Her thoughts were confirmed a few moments later as she stumbled out of the underbrush and into the towering presence of a giant castle. 

She took in a gasp of air as bent her head back to take in the entire image of the beautiful castle. It was extremely large and made entirely out of stone. It had large windows that the sun streamed through. There was a courtyard out front and a large garden with winding paths in the back.

She suddenly felt very small compared to the castle that she stood in front of right now. 'I can't do this.' She thought before shaking her head at the thought. 'I have to! I can't back down now! I went to all this work to get here and I am not going to give up!' She thought determinedly before walking through the courtyard toward the two giant doors that led into the main part of the castle. The door could easily allow a fully transformed Sesshoumaru to pass underneath its arch.

She had to push with her entire upper body before the door slid slightly inward and she could ease her way through the gap in-between it and the frame. She turned her head to the side in confusion when no one, guards or other, came up to her after she walked in. 'Where are they? I could've sworn I felt at least one hundred youkai aura's coming from here.' She frowned in confusion, 'They must all be asleep-' She thought before she was interrupted by a loud squawk from behind her.

She almost laughed out loud at what she saw there. Almost, being the key word. Instead she allowed a small-amused smirk to cross her features. 

A puffed up Jaken stood behind her, his face set in a scowl while he brandished the staff of heads out in front of him. 'Yah right. Like some weak little toad is going to beat me.' 

"What are you doing in mighty Lord Sesshoumaru's castle, Wench? Leave immediately or feel his wrath!" 

She did laugh out loud at this, her body doubling over as laughter shook through her frail frame. When she looked up she saw an enraged Jaken glaring at her from down at the floor. 

"What's so funny, Wench? Leave now or else-" She cut him off by bringing her foot down on his head, grinding it into the floor. 

She glared at him hatefully. "My name is not Wench. It is Kagome, and that is what you will address me by. Now, I am going to ask you this once and only once. Where can I find Sesshoumaru?" She ground her foot a little more.

"I will never betray Lord Sesshou-" He squawked when she added more pressure to his head and cried out, "Wait! Wait! I will show you where he is, just stop abusing this poor Jaken's head!" He moaned in pain.

"Take me to him." She ordered, narrowing her eyes when he seemed to regain some confidence, which was quickly snuffed out under her cold gaze.

He turned and started down a hall to the right muttering "This Way" which was all she got from him before he scurried away. She pushed herself to keep up with him as they made various turns down different corridors and in different wings. 

They eventually stopped in front of two large doors at the end of one of the hallways. Jaken turned to her. "He's asleep. Don't say I didn't warn you after he tears you into pieces for invading his castle, you worthless human." He ran before she could place her foot on him, leaving her alone in front of the double doors. 

'Well, I might as well just go in. If he kills me it won't matter. I'm going to die anyway.' She thought before slowly pushing the door inwards.

It opened soundlessly and she squeezed herself inside the room before closing the door behind her. The room was dark, only faintly lit by the morning sun, and she could see only indistinct shapes of the objects in the room. She could tell that she wasn't yet in the actual master bedroom, but in a large sitting room that led into it.

She slowly walked over the plush rug that lay on the floor and into the bedroom. It was dark and she could barely see a thing. She started feeling her way across the room, narrowly missing a few of the larger objects, but bumping into many sharp corners.

She felt her hand connect with a wall, and slowly moved her way along it. Her hands brushed up against curtains, and she had barely pulled them back to let some light when a hand grabbed her around the neck and smashed her against the wall. A low growl came from chest of the figure in front of her, and she slowly brought her gaze up from the floor to look at her attacker.

Her eyes traveled up his frame, taking note of the white skin in the process. He was wearing a simple white undergarment, good for sleeping in. Her gaze traveled up his chest, stopping briefly when she noticed his missing arm, continuing up until she met his eyes.

Blue eyes locked in a stare with gold as his grip tightened. She let out a soft choke and he loosened his grip a small amount. "What are you doing here, Wench?" He growled out, his voice menacing and his eyes flashing red.

She felt fear crawl up her spine. Her breathing grew ragged. _'He won't kill me, will he?'_ She asked herself before trying to get him to loosen the death grip that he had on her neck. She brought her hands up to his, gripping it, trying to get him to let go. "Let go of me and maybe I'll be able to tell you." She choked out. She felt the first tremors of the shaking coming to her hands and quickly brought them down, squeezing them together to keep them from shaking.

This didn't go unnoticed, and he eventually loosened his hand and let her drop back to the floor. He repeated his question, his voice promising pain if she didn't answer quickly, and his eyes slowly fading back to gold. "What are you doing here?"

She let her glance stray over his face markings and pointed ears before answering. "I came to claim a debt that you owe me."

He seemed to remember and smirked sardonically, his anger slowly ebbing away. "You come here _now_? You could not wait?" He watched as she blushed, his smirk growing in each passing second.

"Yes I came here _now_." She replied, her small embarrassment turning slowly into anger. "I need a favor _now_. And I cannot _wait_." Her tone turned serious.

He stared at her, his emotionless façade replacing the smirk of a few moments ago. "I am not one to break promises. What is it you want?" 

She took her time to answer, trying to gain control of her hands once more. She watched as his icy gaze flicked down her arms and a sad smile made its way onto her face. _'You can do this, Kagome. You've made it this far. Don't give up now.'_ She told herself before starting her explanation. "As you can probably tell by now, there's something wrong with me." He could tell, although the only thing he could smell was the faint smell of death that permeated her being. The reason why was a mystery to him.

"I'm dying. I was poisoned by a youkai." He glanced up at her face; a little surprised when he found no emotions there. 

"I will not be on this Earth much longer. My time is almost up, and as you know, it is my responsibility to collect the shards of the Shikon Jewel that were spread across the lands." He continued to listen. "Even though I won't be here, I still need to finish the quest. My companions are good at fighting demons, but not good enough, I'm afraid, to defeat those with shards."

"I know that you are strong. Strong enough to possibly beat Naraku in fact, and I need you to gather the shards once I am not here." She stopped, out of breath, and waited for his reaction.

"You wish for me, The Demon Lord of the West, to involve myself in your simple _human_ affairs?" He bit out sarcastically.

She felt her anger rising. "Did you not hear what I just said? Yes I want you to involve yourself in my simple _human_ affairs." She imitated him.

He let out a small growl at her. "I do not tolerate insolence, Bitch."

She glared at him, her anger rising even more. "I am NOT a Bitch!" She yelled at him. She would've said more but her body started to shake violently. She bent over, falling to her knees before falling the rest of the way to the floor, pulling her legs in towards her middle in the fetal position as convulsions shook her body and a thin trickle of blood oozed from her mouth. She didn't notice when Sesshoumaru walked away from her, only to come back moments later with an object in his hands.

With his hand on the Tenseiga, he could see the small demons that surrounded her fragile form. They sat there, looking as if they were waiting for a treat. He slowly brought it out of its sheath, leveling it with the creatures. It glowed a bright blue as he brought it down across the forms of the death-bringers.

He waited for a moment for her to stop convulsing. When she didn't, a small frown crossed his features. _'Why will the Wench not heal?' _He asked himself. He pondered the matter for a few moments before bringing the sword back up above her body. _'The poison has already flowed all through her body. This is the only way.'_ He thought before he sliced the sword down across her torso. She let out an ear-piercing shriek before the convulsions stopped and she fell, unconscious, to the floor.

~~~

****

~In a castle at the point where the four lands, the North, South, East, and West, meet and form a point.~

In a dark room a man lay sleeping on a pallet. He looked to be a youkai, yet his breed was undecipherable. The room was made of stone, with no windows on any of the walls. The room was just… empty.

Nothing happened in the room. Nothing breathed and nothing moved. Everything was still until a blinding white flash lit the room. When it disappeared, the man on the pallet began slowly breathing again. 

His eyes snapped open and he muttered three words.

"She has awoken."

~~~

Ok, that's the end for today! I hope you liked it, and I'm sorry if there were any mistakes. Let's see…

Next Chapter: Explanations and new discoveries!

You all know what to do!! Press the button and review!!!


End file.
